Just want to add an unprovoked thought here. These shots are intentionally very atmospheric. Gloomy, brooding, and not, unless I was being ironic (and I’ll never tell) in any way in consort with the subject matter or locale. But whatever. This camera and this sensor will produce black and white conversions that are also Life Magazine quality in terms of journalistically crisp and clear. And, of course, I’m having a ball playing with color looks that are all over the place. Point is, it is amazing, freeing, and altogether joyful the variety of looks that can be pulled out of this camera.

Now I’m aware that the same can be said for many cameras. But the reason I’m saying it here about the M-E (M9) is that this fact truly comes as an ongoing ultra-pleasant surprise to me. I knew you could nail a couple of great black and white looks and get lucky with some color once in a while but I’m taken aback every time I post process shots with what can be pulled out of those RAW files. It’s to the point, as I’ve said in other places on this blog, that I think that ANYONE who shoots this camera and who looks at the RAW files out of camera as the true image is just being foolish. That RAW file is a half-baked cake.